Andersonville Page #6

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Look at those young boys in the

Fife and Drum Corps out there.

I paroled them so they wouldn't

have to stay in that wretched stockade.

I ordered the hospital moved out,

outside of the wall.

Where the air is cleaner.

I ordered the stockade made bigger,

but you know the problem.

They just send us, all the time,

more and more prisoners...

...on Gen. Winder's orders, 33,000 now.

When we were built for only 8000...

...so of course I agree with you.

With the proper help, we can do much more.

Can you help us there, colonel?

The problem is, I need people.

You know, perhaps...

...if I was major instead of only captain...

...then I would have more staff assigned

to me and we could start to solve...

...those problems together.

They listen to you in Richmond, colonel.

So I think if you put

that recommendation...

...in your...

In your report...

...it would be most definitely helpful.

Colonel.

Couple of these here are dead.

Looks like legs gave out.

They strangled.

Think Capt. Wirz knows that?

- I don't know if he does.

- Well, go tell him.

Yes, sir.

Dear God Almighty!

Yes.

This one's alive too, I think.

These here ones are dead.

Lieutenant, mind helping me

get these ones back inside?

Help us with the gate, sir?

Eugene, get them to the dead house.

- Let's go.

- I'll get another wagon.

Those who are not shot...

...are caught by the dogs without fail.

And put in the stocks or ball and chain.

But still, if you escape the dogs...

...go hundreds of miles to your own army?

Not possible!

Everybody's saying you got real close.

Closer than anyone ever did.

Saw the river.

You think Sgt. Gleason got away?

I mean, really away?

Maybe. Maybe.

Good chance.

I don't want it.

I don't want it. No!

You gotta eat, Billy.

Gotta eat.

I don't want to.

I don't want to live.

Not here.

As soon as I can stand,

I'm gonna walk across the deadline.

Tunnels are useless!

Gonna die anyway.

Come on, Billy boy! Come on!

You gonna leave the rest of us

alone here, Billy?

Yeah.

I am.

Goddamn it, Billy. We're gonna

make it through this together...

...or we're not. Together!

Don't make it easy for them.

Now, eat.

- Eat!

- Okay. Okay.

- Hey, hey, hey! Fresh fish.

- Sergeant. Move them out.

Hey.

Fresh fish.

Welcome to Andersonville.

Fine-looking place, don't you think?

For a hog pen, maybe.

- You some of Grant's men from Virginia?

- Yes, sir.

- Yeah? Is that where youse get catched at?

- Yeah.

Good, good. Let me show youse around,

get you a decent place to stay.

You wanna be away from the swamp.

Come on. You hungry?

Get you something to eat. Come on up here.

You'll like it up here.

How long's it been since you ate?

We'll get you fixed up, me and my pards.

Just follow me.

Clean the fish, boys. Come on.

- Whose move?

- It's your turn.

- My move?

- Yes.

All right. Son of a gun.

- I don't know. Awfully sharp.

- How is the game?

- Going pretty good.

- He's cheating me.

All right.

- One, two, three.

- No, no, no.

- Yeah, yeah.

- He did it again. Cheeky little bugger.

Beats me every time. Olek, tell me.

When you were coming

out of the tunnel with Gleason...

Patrick, you finish the game later.

Go ahead, Patrick.

I want to speak to the doctor.

- Yes, sir.

- Finish in a minute.

He's a good boy. Little cheater.

Now, when you were

coming out of the tunnel...

...could you see Gleason?

Did you see what happened to him?

The dogs. Dogs got him.

I got up a tree. He wouldn't stop.

He kept running for the river,

swinging a stick at those dogs...

...but, Jimmy, you can't outrun dogs.

I heard it.

Knew they got somebody.

- Glad I didn't see it.

- I didn't either.

Didn't want to.

I'm not telling them. No point in it.

He was like a father to them.

- He was a fighter.

- I just say I didn't really see.

When I get out of here...

...l'm never going south of New Bedford.

Ever.

Those who are not shot

are caught by the dogs without fail...

...and put in the stocks

or a ball-chain.

But still, if you escape the dogs

to walk hundreds of miles...

...to your own army... Not possible!

Tunnels are useless!

Even if you are outside,

I give any two men a 12-hour start...

...and then track you with the dogs.

And you will suffer the consequences.

But why bother anyway?

I know absolutely there are talks

going on this moment for exchange.

You're a damn liar, Wirz.

- Any day now, all of you will be...

- lf John Gleason gets to Uncle Billy...

...or old Ulys, then we'll get exchanged.

You bet on it.

So I suppose we understand each other.

Move. Hey.

Hey, fresh fish. Welcome to Andersonville.

Fine-looking place, don't you think?

For a hog pen, maybe.

- Where'd youse get catched at? Virginia?

- Yes, sir.

That's good. Means Grant's going forward,

Bobby Lee's going back.

Just the way we like it.

Let me show you around,

get you a good place to stay.

You wanna be up near the wall, away from

the swamp. Don't stink so bad there.

Ain't so many bugs neither.

Come on. You hungry?

I'll get you something to eat.

What happened to you?

Well, we'll take care of that. Come on.

- You'll like these people up here.

- Look at these vultures.

- my pards are up on high ground.

They'll fix you up.

Just waiting to rob and murder the new boys.

Look at them!

- Thieving, stinking cowards!

- We'll get you fixed up. Me and my pards.

Jim. Jim.

Jim, there's a thousand of them.

They have clubs and knives.

We have nothing.

Who's with me? Who? Who?

Who's with me? Who?! Who?!

Who?!

Who's with me?

I'm with you, Jim!

We're with you! We're with you!

- Who?!

- You want them? Then let's get them!

- Who?!

- I'm with you. By God, I'm with you.

What are you standing there for?

- We're with you.

- Form up! Form up!

Form up, boys! Form up!

Who?

Who?!

Form up!

Who?!

Come on! Come on! Come on! Let's go!

I waited for this day.

Come on. Come on!

- You slime-swilling pig.

- Come on!

Hey! Hey! Wait till everyone's here

before anybody gets anything.

- Let me see that.

- Look, my shirt!

Martin's banjo.

Hey, we found your banjo, Martin.

- I say we hang them.

- Yeah!

- I say we hang them all!

- Yeah!

- String them up! Murdering devils!

- I'm doing it with my own two hands!

Now, just hold your horses, Jim.

We're not murderers.

- Murder? To hang them?

- What they did was murder!

We're not hangmen.

Anybody who wants to help,

you come ahead.

But if nobody has the sand for it,

I'll do it myself.

And I'm going to start...

...with you.

- Now, wait a minute, Jim.

- What about them? Do we hang them too?

- It's not murder!

- It's justice!

- That's right.

I think the first thing we have to do,

before anything else...

...is give them a trial.

- A what?

A fair trial.

Show them the fairness

they showed my brother!

- They killed over 200 men in here!

- We must give them a trial.

A fair trial with a jury and witnesses

and a judge.

- What?

- Why?

Are we so much better?

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